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Banana Bread… So Easy, It’s Bananas!

There’s nothing quite like a warm slice of banana bread with a nice smear of butter. It’s as if the heavens looked down on the creation of butter and said, “Now we must create a perfect platform upon which to show off this butter.” When made properly, banana bread is moist and loaded with flavor. It’s pretty much a big, bread-shaped muffin. Best of all, banana bread is so easy to make… it’s “nuts!” Just kidding. It’s totally “bananas!”

In this article, I’ll show you my favorite banana bread recipe and share a couple of tips for getting great tasting bread every time. I’m also excited to present my latest cooking video. Last week, I watched the movie The Artist. It was cute. But you know what it was missing? A good banana bread recipe. Here’s a few scenes that would have made it perfect:

The only real trick to making good banana bread is using really ripe bananas. Just when you think it might be time to toss a banana in the compost bin, that’s the perfect time to use it for banana bread. The reason is that bananas develop more sugar as they ripen. The banana flavor becomes more pronounced as the fruit ages.

I’ve seen some recipes that try to extract more flavor from bananas by microwaving them and cooking down the liquid produced to a syrup. That’s fun if you want to try it, but it’s unnecessary. Ask anybody’s grandma… the old way is the best way. Very ripe bananas yield very good banana bread.

When I make banana bread, I use two mixing bowls: one to mash the bananas and the other one for mixing. Cream 1 softened stick of butter and 1 cup of sugar together until fluffy. Stir in 3 medium mashed bananas and 2 beaten eggs. Then, slowly stir in 1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of baking soda and a couple pinches of salt. If you like, you can add a teaspoon of vanilla or a few dashes of cinnamon at this point.

Lastly, fold in 1/3 cup chopped walnuts and then pour the batter into a greased loaf pan. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes at 350 degrees and that’s all there is to it. This recipe makes one 9 1/2″ X 5″ loaf or three 6″ X 3 1/2″ inch mini loaves.

The only note of caution with this recipe is to watch the cooking time. 40 to 50 minutes is a decent approximation, but every loaf of banana bread has its own distinct cooking time. The ripeness and size of your “medium” bananas both impact the cooking time. I’ve had one loaf take exactly 40 minutes and another with the same recipe take nearly an hour. Both turned out great despite the significant difference in cooking time. Just be sure to test that the bread is done with a toothpick or a skewer. If you stick it in the middle of the loaf and it comes out clean, the bread is done.

Hey Bill. Thanks so much for the complement about the video! A film worthy of Chaplin or or Keaton? I don’t know. But I’ll put my banana bread recipe up against theirs any day. I really appreciate your comment!

You can absolutely do that. Brown sugar can effect the liquid ratio in a recipe because it’s somewhat wet or damp compared to white sugar. But if we’re only talking 1/2 cup in a recipe like this, it shouldn’t effect the consistency of the bread too much. Let me know if you try it. Thanks!

Loved the recipe. I added chocolate chips and used sugar in the raw instead of white sugar. It made it sweet but not too sweet. I feel like the white sugar made it too sweet for my taste. Took it to work and it was gone in seconds.

Hello Mr. Breakfast! I just made your ever so easy banana bread and had it in the oven for well over an hour and although the toothpick came out clean, the top middle of the loaf is mushy like it isn’t cooked. I can’t cook it any longer as everywhere else is getting too brown and crusty. Any idea why?Thanks a bunch!

Hi Jennifer. My best guess would be that your bananas may have been a bit larger than medium. I’ve had the same problem with recipes that specify the number and size of particular fruits instead of the exact amount expressed in cups. I usually cover the bread with foil when I see it browning and keep cooking. Almost always works for me even if the cooking time nears 1 hour and 15 minutes. Sometime in the future, I’ll try to extend this article so it has an approximation of the amount of banana in terms of cups. Thanks!

Made banana bread for the first time this morning and used your recipe. My bananas were probably a little more ripe than the ones in your video so it took about an hour to bake. It was so delicious that I had two thick slices with butter spread all over for lunch!

I’ve seen some banana bread recipes call for buttermilk. I believe one way to make buttermilk is milk+vinegar, so your Dad’s addition of milk & vinegar probably gave it that slight buttermilk taste. I made banana bread last night with 1/4 cup of sour cream added and it was delicious too.

This is an excellent Banana Bread. Sooooo super easy. We are now making it every few days so we have it on hand. Going to make a few loaves to put in the freezer for when I dont have time to whip one up. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. Your right about the cooking time. The first loaf I made took 50 minutes, this last pair took just over an hour. LOL

My banana bread came out white…why? I followed the recipe and added cinnamon and vanilla extract. Tastes good and baked for 45 minutes but no dark flecks or anything. Banana peels had brown dots. I doubled the recipe and used half cup margarine and half cup unsalted butter and white sugar. Was this the problem? Or were the 6 bananas not ripe enough? Also used an electric egg beater and made 2 loaves. Have used other recipes before and it came out that nice brown colour…stumped.

My first guess would be that the banana weren’t ripe enough. I almost always use bananas that are near softened with many dark spots on the peel. I thinks it’s amazing that yours turned out white… like a miracle or a specialty recipe that others might be interested in. Thanks for sharing your results!

Seems pretty simple. My husband requested a few chocolate chips in the batch. So I’m making individual mini loafs that will meet everyone’s specific tastes. Thanks you for share such a great recipe. Can’t wait to taste them!

I don’t know what happened, but this turned out terrible for me. I baked it for the full 50 hit it was still uncooked in the middle. Ended up keeping it in for an additional 20 minutes but it never cooked through. I followed the recipe to a T so I’m really bummed it didn’t work out

I’m sorry to hear that. What size loaf pan did you use? I’d suggest in the future to do the old toothpick test. Insert a toothpick into the center of the bread. If batter sticks to the toothpick, cover the loaf pan with foil and keep cooking. I’ve tried recipes that indicated 45 minutes that took and hour and 20 minutes, but as long as I kept on eye on the bread and covered with foil, it almost always turned out.

I haven’t tried that, but I’d suspect about 25 minutes. Just start doing the toothpick test at 20 minutes: insert a toothpick in the center of a muffin to see if batter sticks to it. If batter still sticks, cook 5 more minutes. Keep doing that every 5 minutes, but I’d be surprised if they take more than 30 minutes. Let me know if you try it. Would love to hear about your results.

I hate to say it took me a while to find your recipe. When I first started baking breads (and was very inexperienced with anything that wasn’t chocolate chip cookies), I ended up baking a few loaves of banana bread that just had way too many spices or not enough banana taste, with too many steps and unnecessary ingredients. However, I am happy to state that your recipe is my go to banana bread recipe, and is my base for the variations of banana breads (with chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, even a mixture of the two, extra nutty, and even a strawberry or cinnamon cream cheese swirl). I never thought banana bread could be so simple, thanks for proving that it is (and turning me into an expert banana bread baker!), and that simplicity can be super delicious!

My grandson is 9 and the pickiest eater I ever met, so last night I made your banana bread. When his mom and dad and he came home last night he kept saying I know that smell, I told him it was banana bread he had a piece I asked him if he liked it his reply ” it’s gone, if it’s gone you no I liked it “.

Man this bread tastes good!
It got a bit too dark around the edges and bottom by the time the middle was done. (I should have read comments before baking)
I think my ovens a bit hot as well. Next time, there will be a next time, I’ll drop the temp a bit and increase the time. I’ll be ready with foil for a cover if needed.
Thanks for an awesome recipe!

We love this recipe, easy and delicious. Can the recipe be doubled so I can make two loaves at a time.? Also, I use bananas that are very ripe. As our bananas over ripen on the counter I put them in a bag in the freezer. I take the bananas out about before I plan to use them, works great. Enjoyed your video. Thanks

I thought this was the perfect base recipe for banana bread!! I added some vanilla and cinnamon and then instead of folding in walnuts I folded in some peanut butter and mini chocolate chips. Absolutely delicious!

I made it n used the topping from another banana bread recipe with brown sugar, flour, and butter, was great. What I liked about it was no butter milk, I didn’t have any n 2 eggs. Tasted great, I made 3 batches